Question 1

Is this item compatible with Windows 10 ?

Accepted Answer

Yes

Question 2

Can I plug an external hard drive into this to store files for my whole network. Optimally , I would like a router that I can plug 2 drives into for backup , and has the best range for a resonable price. Any ideas?

Thanks

Accepted Answer

Yes, the AC1900 has two USB ports.  1 USB 3.0 and 1 USB 2.0.  Both can be used for network storage or backup.  Unless you have a wireless  adapter that has AC technology you will not get the full benefits of the AC speeds.  But since these technologies are backwards compatible an N rated adapter will work with speeds around 150 - 300 mbps.  Range has not been an issue.  Most of the connected devices are within 20ft with no connection or speed degradation.  I can sit on the back porch with my laptop at about 100 - 120ft with no performance issues. In total there are 10 devices connected.  I have not had any bandwidth issues. I also have the guest network enabled which runs on a separate network.  The one thing I was concerned about is that Belkin now owns the Linksys brand.  Belkin is not known for quality products but I took a chance anyways because I have had good luck with Linksys.  So far so good.

Question 3

is this the same product that is listed on new egg as " Linksys EA6900 AC1900 Dual Band SMART Wi-Fi Gigabit Router " and has 79 reviews with only a 2 egg average but discontinued ?

Accepted Answer

I did some research and it seems that this is likely the 1.1 version that was released in 2014 opposed to the 2013 1.0 version which got terrible reviews.    Perhaps they fixed some issues but that remains unknown I couldn't find any details about what changes were made exactly.

Interestingly enough as I type this  the reviews here seem to be quite favorable perhaps this version fixes the major issues.  I was skeptical so I investigated the reviewers which all seem to have aged accounts and a wide span of products.

Question 4

Is this a new router or refurbished?

Accepted Answer

Hello,

Thank you for contacting us with your question. The item is brand new. It will come closed in the original retail package with manufacturer seal. Normally, if the item was refurbished or open box it would be listed on the product page.

Thank you, 
Newegg Support

Question 5

How far away from this unit can I still operate?

Accepted Answer

I don't have an exact distance, but I have it on my second floor, and I can get pretty good connection in my basement.  This is on the 2.4 GHz band, 5GHz band is a bit less but still works in the basement.  I can get reception in every room, garage and front porch.  Our town house is about 2000 square feet on 2 levels, with a third if you consider the basement.  I put the router in the middle of the second level on the floor(on a tile, it gets a little hot), aimed the side antennae out, and the middle up.

Question 6

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS LINKSYS MODEL (EA6900) AND THE LINKSYS (WRT1200AC)?

Accepted Answer

The WRT1200 router supports aftermarket firmware if I'm thinking correctly and it is rated at 1200 mbs combined as where the EA6900 is rated at 1900 mbs. I own the EA6900 and it is a solid router. If you need a router that offers plenty of customization I say go with a WRTXXXX model. If you need a router that is fairly simple and has plenty of options get a EAXXXX model. Be sure to dinner your research no matter what you decide. I have found routers are rated in a way that clouds the specs a bit. Especially these AC routers.

Question 7

The site doesn't list any information about the VPN capabilities, what are they, and does it have a VPN Server option?  Thanks.

Accepted Answer

Under the security sections you can enable VPN Passthough for IPSec, PPTP, and L2TP. It work just fine with my work VPN Sonicwall.

Question 8

Advanced: With respect to the native firmware, what value-added settings or features is it missing when compared with the popular third-party firmware DD-WRT?

I would like to know what I'd be missing with the built-in firmware compared to a DD-WRT compatible router since it is not yet known if this router will be supported by DD-WRT.

Accepted Answer

DD-WRT is in the makes and AFAIK is available for this router. There is still plenty of options for the out of the box version. If you don't mind a Web based interface. It all depends on what your used to. If you use DD-WRT on your routers you will most likely miss it. But this router is still good with out it. The router works well and handles mixed networks well.

Question 9

How well does it work with Apple products and streaming video games?

Accepted Answer

My iPads (3x) and iPhones (2x) work really well.

Question 10

Does this router allow VPN access from the Internet to a computer on my network (PPTP)?

Accepted Answer

Yes the router does allow pptp.

Standards	IEEE 802.11ac, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n
WiFi Generation	Wi-Fi 5
Wireless Standard	IEEE 802.11a / IEEE 802.11ac / IEEE 802.11b / IEEE 802.11g / IEEE 802.11n
Security	WPA/WPA2 encryption and SPI firewall
WPA	WPA2
WAN Ports	1 x 10/100/1000M
LAN Ports	4 x 10/100/1000M
Wireless Data Rates	Up to N600 + AC1300
Frequency Band	2.4 GHz / 5 GHz
Antenna	Adjustable Antennas
Interface	USB 3.0 + USB 2.0
Wireless Adapter included	No
System Requirements	For Router Setup and Linksys Smart Wi-Fi access: Internet Explorer 8, Safari 5 (for Mac), Firefox 8 or Google Chrome For Printer Sharing and User Documentation: -PC: Wi-Fi enabled with CD or DVD drive, Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista SP1 or later, Windows 7, or Windows 8 -Mac: Wi-Fi enabled with CD or DVD drive, Mac OS X Leopard v10.5.8 or later, Snow Leopard v10.6.1 or later, Lion v10.7, or Mountain Lion v10.8

Linksys AC1900 Dual Band SMART Wi-Fi Gigabit Router (EA6900)

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Model
Brand	Linksys
Model	EA6900

Item#: N82E16833124572